Portable platform for smoke-stacks



(No Model.)

y B. VITALIS.

PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR SMOKE STAGKS.

No. 335,164. Patented Feb. 2, 1886.

' W/I/VESSES vvfs.

UNITED. STATES PATENT ()FFIC BAPTISTE VITALIS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR SMOKE-STACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,164, dated February 2., 1886.

Application filed November 21, 1885. Serial No. 183,461. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BAPTISTE VITALIS, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Platforms for Smoke-Stacks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in portable platforms for attaching to smokepipes, church-spires, or other upright objects in which a frame-work, forming a clamp and made adjustable in size, supports a platform on which workmen may stand in safety or mount ladders thereon in painting, repairing, &c., the object being to provide a more convenient and secure apparatus for such work than has heretofore been in use.

With this object in View my invention consists in certain features of construction, and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

With the different manufacturing establishments through the country large numbers of sheet-metal smoke-pipes are employed, that, to protect them from the weather and render the same durable, must be painted from time to time. Heretofore there seems to have been no adequate and satisfactory provision made for doing such work. For short smoke-pipes long ladders are employed; but ladders that will reach to the top of a smoke-pipe of medium height are expensive, heavy, and difficult to erect. Scaffolds have at great expense been built up from the ground for doing such work, the owners thereby incurring the risk of a general wreck of smoke-pipe, scaffolding, and things in general in case a heavy storm should arise while such scaffolding is up. In one way and another hooks with ropes attached have been hooked over the top end of the smoke-pipe, and with such precarious supports and at the risk of life and limb workmen have done painting and repairing, fatal accidents not unfrequently resulting from such practice. As a rule, however, the tall smoke-pipes have generally been left to rust out.

In view of the exigencies aforesaid I have devised a portable platform that may be clamped to a smoke-pipe, church-spire, or other object, said platform forming a secure support for workmen,'and on which ladders may be placed, reaching, if need be, to other similar platforms above, so that the tallest smoke-pipes or church-spires may be painted or repaired from top to bottom at a moderate expense, with but little risk to the workmen.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a smoke-pipe,

showing my improved portable platform atof given size, the frame-work may be constructed, as shown in Fig. 5, where a series of segments, A,forming a band, have their ends bent outward, forming arms A. These arms are bolted together in pairs, as shown, the bolts a and a being of suitable length for conveniently assembling the parts around the smokepipe. By screwing up these bolt-s the bands A are made to clasp the pipe firmly.

If the platform is to be used on smoke-pipes of different sizes, or for an object-for instance, a church-spire-that varies in size, the segmental bands A are made in two parts, the ends thereof overlapping, as shown in Fig. 6. Different holes are made in the overlapping parts or slots, if the latter are preferred, for the passage of the bolt a". In this manner an extension-joint is provided, by means of which the parts may be adjusted to suit differentsized pipes or tapering objects.

Braces C may be employed,a cheap and preferable construction of the same being shown in Fig. 3. The braces consist of rods of iron,with loops 0, c, and 0 the two former being arranged at the ends of the rods. These braces are arranged with the loops 0 and 0 between the arms A, so that a bolt, a, passes through theloop c, and the bolt apasses through the loop c,with the part of the brace from planks can be bolted together, the bolts passing through the slots 1). The structure ismade light, so that a man can attach the same from the top of a ladder. The frame is usually put 7 together around the smoke-pipe at or near the clamped to the pipe.

ground or on top of the building, and then slid up along thesmoke-pipe as faras thesame can be reached by a ladder,when, by tightening one set of the bolts, the frame is firmly A ladder may be placed on such platform, and if the ladder does not reach to the top of the pipe, another platform may be attached, and so on until the top of the pipe is reached.

The frame-work is not expensive, and a workman skilled in such work and provided with three or four or more of such frames anda light ladder can paint the tallest smoke-pipe, from top to bottom,with comparative safety.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a platform made of detachable pieces, of a clamp for embracing asmoke-pipe, spire, or other object, said clamp having arms extending laterally for supporting the platform, the parts being arranged substantially as described.

,2. The combination, with a platform made of detachable pieces, of aclamp for embracing asmoke-pipe, spire, or other object, said clamp consisting of segmental bands, the ends of said bands extending laterally, forming arms for supporting the platform, adjacent arms being secured by bolts, the parts being arranged substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a platform, of a clamp for embracing a smoke-pipe, spire, or other object, said clamp consisting, essentially,

of a band composed of segmental bars or plates, securing-bolts, and lateral arms, and extension-joint made in one or more of the segments of the band, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a platform, a clamp for embracing a smoke-pipe, spire, or other object, said clamp having lateral arms for supporting the platform, of braces consisting, essentially, respectively, of a single rod, with loops engaging the bolts of the lateral arms,

said rod being bent to rest against the smokepipe or other object being clamped, said braces extending above the platform, with loops for supportinga guard-rail, the parts being arranged substantially as set forth.

' In testimony whereof Isign this specifica tion, in the presence of two witnesses, this 17th day of November, 1885.

BAPTISTE vrrALIs.

Witnesses:

G. W. SHUMWAY, N. S. AMSTUTZ. 

